Just over half of the shortfall was due to the economic slowdown caused by efforts to contain the outbreak.
Spotlight PA
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State will soon begin dispersing billions in coronavirus relief money
This week, the legislature approved a package that would allocate $2.6 billion for a variety of purposes including providing relief to counties and hard-hit long-term care facilities.
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Massive unemployment scam strikes up to 58,000 people in Pa., far more than previously known
The state Treasury has temporarily halted direct deposit payments for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and will only issue money by check.
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Pa. legislature sends $26 billion short-term budget to Gov. Tom Wolf
The stopgap measure flat-funds most state agencies for five months and the Department of Education for one year.
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Pennsylvania is sitting on billions in coronavirus relief money. What’s the holdup?
Gov. Tom Wolf said he and the GOP-controlled General Assembly are negotiating how to best spend the state’s pot of discretionary dollars.
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Pa. House Democrats say they were in the dark for a week about Republican’s positive coronavirus test
State Rep. Andrew Lewis (R., Dauphin) said in a statement that he tested positive for COVID-19 last week and immediately began self-isolation.
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All Pa. counties will be in ‘yellow’ coronavirus reopening phase by June 5 under Wolf administration plan: sources
Under Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan, 49 of 67 counties are already in the “yellow” phase, or the first phase of reopening.
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Pa. is mixing coronavirus test results, and that could distort our view of the disease
Pennsylvania is including in its official count not only viral tests that reveal who currently has COVID-19, but also antibody tests that show whether a person was previously infected.
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Pa. health officials quietly alter erroneous nursing home case, death counts as providers cry foul
Provider associations said publishing erroneous data has sewn panic and anger among family members, distrust among nursing home staff, and frustration for providers.
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Pa. officials allow scaled-back real estate operations to resume statewide
Gov. Tom Wolf on the same day vetoed a bill to restart the real estate industry, angering Republicans in the legislature.
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Rebate checks may arrive earlier for some Pennsylvania homeowners and renters
The rebate program is aimed at low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
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FULL LIST: Pa. releases names of nursing homes with coronavirus cases, deaths
As the number of deaths inside Pennsylvania’s long-term care facilities grew, lawmakers and advocates for seniors called on the state and federal government to release the list.
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Pa. sold nursing home testing plan as ‘universal’ and ‘radical’, but advocates say it’s optional and insufficient
State officials opted against making testing mandatory, and some fear certain facilities won’t follow their suggestions.
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Pa.’s largest nurses’ union accuses hospitals of misinforming state officials about protective equipment
The union says health systems are sitting on stockpiles of N95 respirators, leaving nurses without needed protection, as some hospitals restart elective procedures.
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With thousands of Pa. prisoners in near-solitary confinement, how long can coronavirus lockdown last?
Advocates have widely praised the department’s efforts, but are concerned about potential harms to inmate mental health.